Unsaid
by Girl With A Heart Of Ice
Summary: "Where could she even run to –the darkness in the room was surrounding her from all sides and the shadows and the darkness were his domain. There she would be truly helpless." Reyes hears news that sets off a series of events that leads Scott to wonder if the secrets the other harbors are harmless as he claims. Spoilers for Andromeda, coarse language, MRyder/Reyes Romance


Unsaid

**Warning: Mentions of torture (more serious in later chapters) and other unfriendly things. Mentions of death.  
Pairings: Default Scott Ryder/Reyes Vidal**

Chapter 1: Keema –the face of the Collective

"I want a status report in two hours. This better be the last screw up from your team or I'll make sure that none of you'll ever show your face in the daylight again. Understood?" There was a beat of silence before a stutter made it through the com link. "Y-Ye-Yes s-sir." The line went dead and the only angara in the room hummed. Her deep, multi-colored eyes watched the other occupant in the room with interest, a small smile resting on her lips. She puffed a cloud of tobacco into the air and watched it for a moment before resting her blue eyes on the man once again.

"That was quick. Though a bit harsh." She commented and was rewarded with a cold look. She shrugged. "You're going to scare the recruits right into the arms of some other faction. We can't afford that." Keema told the other but she could see that the man before her could care less about a minor possibility. They had bigger things on their plate and one of those things was the missing shipment. Medical equipment –enough to keep the outpost clinic open for three months- had gone missing. Reyes had been on one of his earned days off when she had called him back to deal with the situation and several other issues. There had been diplomatic conflicts with Elaaden over some supply ships and the tax that they had been forced to pay upon landing in the port.

Keema kept a steady hand of the reins for the most part but almost all of the decisions went first trough the Charlatan. Reyes allowed her to deal with minor issues and represent the Collective in meetings and negations, but the moment something happened that required the King she called him in. This was one of those times. She could run the operations –she had the skills, the tactical mind and the knowledge to do it- but when decisions and orders had to be dished out in quick succession, people to be contact and deals to make, bridges to form, people to be manipulate or kidnap or torture, she usually handed the reins to Reyes without a second thought.

To most people, he was a "third-rate smuggler" with a flirty attitude and knack for getting the best jobs. They saw him as a liar, cheater and a general asshole. To a select few he was a vulnerable man whose secrets and a mask of confidence and flirtations kept him alive, a pilot of amazing skill and a crack shot when the time arose. To even fewer he was the man who manipulated, spied, stole, kidnapped, killed, murdered, tortured any and all who stood between him and what he wanted. A man who did anything that was required with cold, calculating eyes and an unfriendly, cruel, fake smirk or smile. A man who hid behind some many layers that even Keema, who could say that she had seen most of his Charlatan personality, had never seen him at his darkest. But close to it and Keema knew better than to ever dive deep enough to see it again. And she hoped that he would never have to either. That would be a dark day on Kadara and to all who lived there. And she was afraid she was about to force him into the inky blackness once again.

Reyes ignored her scolding. "I want the person who was responsible for arranging the guard found. This is the third one we have lost in a few months. Find them. Maybe we can finally be done with this clusterfuck. Our standing with the Innitiave can't be affected any further. We'll lose our leverage otherwise. Pushing the new landing fees trough would be an impossibility." His voice was just as deep and smooth as ever, the accent flowing like honey. But the tone was cold. Keema nodded.

"Yes, I will send out more scouts." She responded and then paused. "Reyes… there was another thing I would like to talk with you about." She kept her eyes on him and watched as his burning eyes met hers. He was shrouded in the shadows, his hair and dark skin hiding him beneath the last rays of daylight and shadows. His burning eyes were the only thing she could focus on. It felt like looking at a dangerous predator –looking at something that circling her and readying to pounce, to rip her to shreds and not feel an inkling of mercy. She didn't shudder but that didn't really mean anything since Reyes could sense her feelings and thoughts from the way she breathed, from the way she sat and from the way her eyes moved. He was in his element –shrouded in darkness, observing, waiting- and while Keema could stand her ground she was no match for him even on his worst day. This was his world –his Kingdom.

"What is it?" The darkness in the room seems even more suffocating than a second ago. His attention, his whole being is focused upon her. She shivers. It's a rush like nothing else –feeling those eyes land upon her pinning her into the throne. She wouldn't be able move even if she wanted to escape the gaze. Where could she even run to –the darkness in the room was surrounding her from all sides and the shadows, the darkness were his domain. There she would be truly helpless.

"There was a man we caught today for having a gun that had a Collective emblem. We were able to confirm that he either stole the gun or he killed to owner before taking it for his own. Several people recognised it as the gun that Leila -"Lucky" used. We believe that she is dead." There was a pause. The heavy gaze seemed to sharpen and bore into her. "He hadn't talked, but… Reyes, we found several communications on his omni-tool that indicated that he was meant to take out the Pathfinder. He was promised a handsome reward for the deed as well." The silence was thick and Keema sure as hell wasn't going to open her mouth first.

"How much?" Reyes asked and Keema briefly wondered if she should lie, but it would have been foolish. He could see everything. "300,000 credits and a set of new armor and guns, as well as… Reyes… they promised Inniative's protection from any retaliation from us."

Darkness. The sun had been setting and now it was gone, below the mountainous horizon. The sky bathed in blood and the room descended into darkness. Keema held her breath, the silence, the weight of the words crushing her as the Charlatan stood in silence, burning eyes holding her gaze before shifting. She breathed again, but kept silent. His presence seemed to become heavier and more prominent; all the while it melted into the shadows around them.

"Lucky is dead?" Keema paused before answering. "We aren't sure, but suspect that is the case." A beat. "Find her, whether she's dead or alive. I'm going to visit our prisoner." His command rang out and Keema nodded but didn't move otherwise. The silence continued for a moment longer. "Find me the people who organized the hit." He turned his gaze to the window before turning to leave the room before Keema sprung to her feet. "We aren't able to trace it –there are too many middle hands, most probably don't even know that the message was routed form their tools, we can't just go and start interrogating people one by one and-" He wasn't listening. "Reyes!" The monster seemed to awaken at that moment –the darkness deepened and the molten gaze that settle on her form burned through her. She stilled. She was dead if she moved. His fingers hovered above his holstered gun for a moment before he seemed to calm enough to lower his hand.

"I don't care. Kill, torture, rape, kidnap, break, discard like trash, do anything it takes. Or if you can't, then I'll do it." His eyes burned. His body taut and ready to snap. Lips turned into a snarl. This was darkness, this was the pitch blackness that she had so rarely seen. And it was only the beginning.

"I'll get you a team. Do what you must." She told him and for a moment considered wishing him good luck but didn't. He wouldn't need it; luck had little to do with Reyes and his meticulous operation and even "Lucky" –who earned the nickname after accidentally firing her gun during a training exercise and missing her fellow student by an inch- had never relied on luck on her missions. The sniper had been known for impeccable military record and later, when she appeared on Kadara and joined the Collective, she was known for never missing her target. She had been the best sniper of the whole faction, most likely the best on Kadara and possible the best in the whole Initiative. The person who had been watching Reyes's back for the two years. The only one Reyes's had trusted behind him with a gun.

"I'll search for them. I'll scorch the ground beneath their feet, surround them with death and then take them. I'll torture them, until I know everything about them and their plans and then I'll kill them… slowly." He walked out. His foot falls both silent and at the same time ground shattering. Keema waited a minute after the door closed, her breath steadying. She sat down heavily and reached for a smoke. She called the assistant and the guards back in after a few more minutes. She barked her orders to them and watched them put everything in motion.

Scouts for the person who had leaked intel, scouts and search teams to find their ace sniper either dead or alive, a team of professionals to find out the person who organized the hit and one of the enhanced interrogation experts delivering tools to the place where they were holding the silent would-be assassin. Extra security for the Tempest, Nomad and the crew. Extra patrols around the port and Ditaeon.

The darkness swallowed the port whole as night descended to Kadara. Keema hoped that the man walking in the shadows, prowling like a monster would go home at some point and kiss the man he so loved. Because even at his darkest, there was one person who could pull him back –someone accepted him and loved him. She just hoped that the darkness that Reyes harbored wouldn't break the Pathfinder with a heart of gold and bright eyes looking toward the future.

**A/N**

**Hi! So a bit of Mass Effect Andromeda coming up for your enjoyment. I hope you enjoyed -please review and tell me what where the good things- and even if you didn't you can review and tell me why not. So there's two chapters left for this story. It's not going to be long -about the same length or shorter. **


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